tactile Projects

All of these projects were designed by students in coordination with the Mountain Lakes Public Library Makerspace. Great creativity students! All design prototypes were printed on the Makerspace Monoprice 2 3d printer. 2000+ hours and still going strong.

tactile Project goals

  1. Design engaging 3d printed tactile resources that visually impaired students want to play with

  2. Make the tactile resource designs universal so that visually impaired students can enjoy the game, book, or activity with their sighted friends and family

  3. Design with visually impaired students and educators: involving many stakeholders in both the design and feedback

  4. Standardize the 3D design files so they can be printed by anyone with a standard FDM 3d printer (regular PLA).

  5. Provide all of our resources as open source materials

  6. Connect with students, educators, and organizations with these 3d tactile resources and resources that are available through many different organizations

To learn more about a specific project or access the 3d print files (some are included), please email LakerMakersClub@gmail.com. Thank you!

Would you like a resource from the ML Makerpace 3d printed? Please Click Here to submit a request!


Deoxyribose puzzle piece connected to a phosphate puzzle piece on the top left. The "T" Thymine nucleotide puzzle piece is connected to Deoxyribose on the bottom center. The Deoxyribose puzzle piece is a pentagon shape. Phosphate is an upside down "V" shape. The Thymine is rectangular shape with a hollow hemisphere at the end.

tactile dna

Family of mice are holding hands and smiling.

If you give a mouse...

Hex game dual dull puzzle piece. It is a read hexagon shape piece with two arcs that go across the middle. The arcs are back to back.

The Hex Game

Picture of a 3d printed mouse with distinctive big floppy ears. The mouse is attached to a bottom cross connector.

if you give a mouse...

Picture of a bear whose face is looking straight ahead. There is a picture of rocky cave in the distant background.

Brown bear, brown...

There is an octopus with eight tentacles in front of a cave. The octopus is just tall enough to fit inside the cave's opening. The cave has smooth rocks all over its top and sides. The octopus is three inches tall.

The Rainbow fish

View of Green eggs and ham 3d printed plate which is about 5 inches round. The ham is on top of the plate. There are two eggs with distinctive yolks. There are connectors on each side of the plate that connect to story elements like a train.

green eggs & ham

Laser cut Risk! game board with Braille labels to identify countries.

tactile risk

green adjustable thumb band (like a belt) with an attached yellow guitar pick.

guitar thumb pick

A happy illustrated face. The face has big, bushy eyebrows.

story cards

3d printed road and bridges with pegs

bridges of konigsberg

Pascals 3d triangle. It has different levels based on number patterns. Its height is scaled so that a '2' level feels different than a '4' and '8'.

pascal's triangle

Laser cut maze board on top of ipad. Stylus is on the bottom left corner.

physical maze app

View of computer screen with eight colorful bars that represent different notes. The letter 'C' is show and its Braille.

Mouse music

A thumb is lifting a colorful gel mold from the 3d printed tray through its removable wall.

Electrophoresis tray

Silhouette of Amanda Gorman's face and head with portions of her poem, "The Hill We Climb"

silhouette poetry